HMS Magpie was a Cuckoo-class schooner constructed by William Rowe of Newcastle and launched on 17 May 1806. As a typical vessel of her class, she was armed with four 12-pounder carronades and had a crew complement of approximately 20 sailors. The ship’s dimensions and detailed specifications are not provided in the source, but her armament and crew size reflect her role as a small, agile vessel suitable for coastal operations and message carrying. Commissioned in 1806 under Lieutenant Edward Johnson, HMS Magpie’s early service was short-lived. During a storm near Les Sept Îsles on the French coast, she attempted to anchor but was unable to do so. While seeking shelter in a bay near Perros, she grounded. French troops approached in boats, leading to her surrender on 18 February 1807, after which she was captured by French forces. The French Navy took her into service as Magpye, commissioning her at Brest under lieutenant de vaisseau Arnous-Dessaulsays in May 1807. During her French service, she was employed in various roles, including carrying messages for Admiral Willaumez during his 1809 attempt to escape Brest with the fleet. For over three years, she escorted convoys in the English Channel and engaged in multiple encounters with the British, though she sustained no significant damage or casualties. In August 1811, she became the flagship of Captain Proteau’s 17th coastal squadron at Brest, and her command was later held by Lieutenant de vaisseau Clémendot. She participated in operations related to the Imperial coastal flotilla, including being laid up in 1812. Her name was changed to Colombe in July 1814, reverted during the Hundred Days, and again changed back to Colombe in July 1815. Post-war, she served as a transport, notably operating at Brest, and participated in trials of new rudder types around 1820. She may have engaged in fisheries protection in 1821. By 1823, she reverted to a schooner, and in 1824 was listed as a laid-up vessel at Rochefort. In 1826, she became a prison ship at Brest, and ultimately was broken up at Rochefort in August 1828. Her varied career highlights her adaptability and the typical lifecycle of small naval vessels during the early 19th century.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.